Time is Running Out
by nekkis
Summary: Oneshot about Alice and Jasper. Be warned, it contains dark themes!


New story guys! Í'll tell you right now, it is a oneshot and be warned, dark themes ahead!

Hope you like it!

* * *

Alice

He laughed at me when I fell on my butt after slipping on the ice. I also laughed, so hard I couldn't even get up. Finally, after he caught his breath, he reached out his hand and helped me up. I rubbed my ass with my mitten-clad hands and winced. That would definitely leave a bruise. When we reached our destination, he pulled out the blanket from his bag and sat down, looking at me expectantly. I knew what he wanted.

"Alright alright there little mister piggy! One homemade chocolate muffin coming right up!"

He growled at my insult and dragged me down into his lap.

"You better watch your language there miss, or else I will have to teach you a lesson!" he said in a dark voice, but the humor behind it was clear, as was the laughter in his voice.

"Actually, I don't think you will have the guts to do that before you get your hands on those muffins, since I'm the only one who knows the combination…" I teased him. Yes, it had gone that far, I needed to have the goodies in a bag with a padlock; otherwise he would have ambushed me a long time ago and ran away with the muffins. I was so jealous of his fast metabolism, it wasn't fair how he could just eat and eat without gaining an ounce, while I had to ration every little thing I put in my stomach. The fact that he went out running 4 times a week and regularly went to the gym while I sat on my ass at home might have had something to do with it, but I refused to think in that way. At least I managed to stay slim, which was very convenient since I was so short, even a pound of extra fat would make me look hideous. I cringed at the memories of fat little Alice, 9 years old, running around on her own on the playground because no-one wanted to be friends with the fat girl.

"Alice? I'm dying of hunger back here!" his whining snapped me out of my day-dream and I laughed and reached for the muffin bag.

"Close your eyes, Jasper. I mean it. I'm going to run out of combinations if you keep peeking. This is the 7th time I had to change and there is only that much room in my brain for numbers," I said matter-of-factly and tried to climb out of his lap, a bit bumbling because of my sore ass. He laughed at my clumsy attempts but eventually helped me and turned his back to me so I could open the bag.

"I will see if you try anything! And if you do, I can tell you right now, you will not get anything from this bag. I repeat, NOT ANYTHING!" he faked a sob but stayed in the same position while I opened the bag and took out the goods. I got on my knees, leaning against his back, and held the muffin in front of his nose. He sniffed and then took the whole thing in his mouth, almost together with my fingers.

"Hey! That was close! I'd like to keep my fingers thanks," I scolded him, but he didn't care and kept on devouring the muffin while making obnoxious moans and groans. I gave up and took out my bagel with salad from my bag. He gave me a sympathetic look but decided he didn't want to take that fight again and stayed silent.

We sat and ate in silence as the sun went down and darkness started creeping up on us. The bottle of wine we'd had with us was long gone and when I started shaking out of cold even after he'd let me crawl into his lap and put his jacket around the both of us, he decided it was time for us to head home. It took us a while, since he decided to push me into every snow bank he possibly could. When we finally got home, I was soaking wet and shaking uncontrollably, but I was in a good mood since I had managed to push him a few times, too. We hung up our wet clothes and decided to take a bath to warm us up. We didn't get much drier and the bathroom was a mess when we were done but at least we were warm now.

I stood wrapped in a towel and looked out the window as he finished drying himself off in the bathroom. The snow had started to fall and big heavy flakes fell slowly towards the ground. The street outside was empty and quiet, and the windows in the apartment building opposite ours were all dark. At 4 AM this was to be expected, but I was still taken aback by the quietness and beauty of a big city so quiet. I think it was the snow, it was like a blanket had been put on our city and quelled all the sounds and lights that a big city would have. The only light that was left came from a lonely street lamp that shone a dim orange light on the snow-covered pavement.

I stood by the window for a long time, just looking at the beauty, when I felt a pair of hands sneaking around my waist and lips pressed softly to the back of my neck. I turned around and faced him, placing my hands around his neck. I looked into his deep blue eyes and smiled.

"What were you looking at, love?" he asked quietly.

"The snow," I whispered. "It's beautiful."

"It is. But you're more beautiful."

"Oh Jasper, fuck off! You're such a cliché!" I rolled my eyes and let go of him as he snorted and grinned.

"Alright, I'm sorry, I couldn't resist! You really are beautiful though," he added, sincerity shining through his eyes.

"Thanks." Suddenly, I felt shy under his gaze, but he tilted my chin up with his finger (another cliché), kissed me deeply and guided me towards the bed.

* * *

Jasper

The day had been beautiful. One of the best ones in my life, actually. It had all been perfect, the weather, the food, her. I had asked her in the morning if she would bake those delicious muffins and after a bit of mocking me, she had agreed. I'd chosen a perfect spot for our picnic and packed a blanket and a bottle of wine. Champagne would have been better for my cause, but I hadn't wanted her to get suspicious as she was watching me while I was packing my bag.

The months before, I had worked my ass off to be able to pay for it. The ring. It was beautiful and the moment I had seen it, I'd known she would love it. I had waited a couple of days since the winter vacation started, and now I'd picked the perfect day and the perfect time.

I had found the meaning of life, and that was to spend it with her. I couldn't wait to make her completely mine, and I was so sure she would say yes. The love she felt for me was overwhelming, it consumed me and at times it scared me because I was afraid I couldn't show her completely how much I loved her. But when she looked me in the eyes and didn't even have to say it because her eyes showed everything, I know that she knew. We loved each other equally, and that kind of love was not commonly found. I was so indescribably lucky to have her in my life.

My momma raised me to be a gentleman, but Alice… she made me dare to be myself. I dared so much more when I was with her, she was like a tornado that stormed into my life and turned it all upside down. And I was so grateful. She was my love, my life, my everything, and this day was the perfect time to show her, to ask her if she would make me the luckiest man on earth, even if I didn't deserve her.

I had been so nervous, so afraid that she would say no. But why would she? I knew her feelings for me: the never-ending, all-consuming love that I felt for her was the same she felt for me. I knew it to my bones, and when the nervousness had gone away, it was replaced with excitement. I couldn't wait to ask her, to kiss her, to hear the word "yes" leave her smiling lips. I think she might have suspected something was different, but she hadn't said anything so I tried my best to act normal.

We walked out of the house, bags in our hands and the ring safely in its box in my pocket, talking and kissing as we always did. She saw a clear ice patch and threw her bag at me so she could run towards the ice and slide around on it. She laughed and spun around, catching my eyes with hers, and suddenly fell down. The sound when her head hit the ice was horrific and I would remember it for the rest of my life.

I threw away the bags and ran to her, screaming her name, but she didn't respond. I dropped down on my knee next to her, the irony of the situation stinging more than the fall, holding her hand and cupping her head. I whispered her name, shook her body, but nothing, no reaction. I held her hand so hard her fingers turned white, but still nothing. As I frantically started going through my pockets to find my phone, I heard a small giggle underneath me.

"Alice for fuck's sake that was not funny! That was not funny at all! I think I almost had a heart attack!" I yelled at her, the relief washing over me.

She just laughed and couldn't respond, gasping for air and laughing more. After a long time, I started laughing too; her laugh was the most contagious I had ever heard. She stuck out her hand, wanting help up and I rose and gave her my hand. She gave me a quick peck on the lips, whispered "I love you" and started skipping away from me.

Something was really off with her skipping. She wasn't as graceful as she usually was, it was like she was drunk, she didn't go in a straight line, and instead she staggered around from side to side and suddenly sat flat down. I jogged towards her and when I came close, she looked up at me with a helpless look in her eyes. Blood was running from her nose and her pupils were dilated.

I took out my phone and dialed 911.

* * *

The ambulance ride went excruciatingly slow and all I could do was look at her and squeeze her hand tightly while praying.

"Please don't leave me, please don't leave me, please don't leave me…"

She didn't respond, she just looked up at the roof of the ambulance and stayed quiet for the whole ride. The paramedic was trying to take care of her and at the same time calm me down. It all started to blur.

When we arrived at the hospital, she was rushed into surgery at once. I didn't even get to say goodbye. I was stuck in the waiting room for hours, filling in insurance papers and pulling my own hair. At one point, I started screaming in agony and a nurse came and gave me a shot. Everything went black.

I woke up in a hospital bed with only one thing on my mind: Alice. I dreamt only about her, she was dancing on the ice patch, laughing and waving at me to come over and join her. When I woke, I prayed that everything was a dream, that my Alice was perfectly fine and sitting by my bedside, smiling at me. But sitting at my bedside was not Alice. It was a man in a doctor's uniform.

"Mr. Whitlock, I am doctor Carlisle Cullen, how are you feeling?" he said in a calm voice.

"Screw me, where is she?! Where is my Alice?" I screamed at him, trying to get out of the bed.

The doctor sighed and looked at me.

"No… No, no, please, no…" All hope was drained from me like someone flicked a switch. It couldn't be possible, my Alice couldn't be gone just like that...

"Mr. Whitlock, your wife survived the surgery but..." he paused and looked at me. I must have looked like I would murder him if he hesitated one second more, so he continued. "There was permanent damage to her brain that we couldn't repair. She lives in an alternate reality now."

"What? But she is alive so everything is fine right?" I managed to get out.

He sighed again. "She is alive and has no need for machines to keep her that way. But you must understand, she is not herself anymore, and she will never be. I'm so sorry, Mr. Whitlock," he said and lowered his head.

It finally hit me, like a train, flat in the face.

"She...is not… my Alice anymore, is she?" I dreaded the answer but already knew what it would be.

"No, unfortunately not. Again, I am so terribly sorry," the doctor said and put a hand on my shoulder.

The tears were now flowing freely down my cheeks. "Can… Can I see her?"

* * *

Alice

He laughed at me when I fell on my butt after slipping on the ice. I also laughed, so hard I couldn't even get up. Finally, after he caught his breath, he reached out his hand and helped me up. I rubbed my ass with my mitten-clad hands and winced. That would definitely leave a bruise. When we reached our destination, he pulled out the blanket from his bag and sat down, looking at me expectantly. I knew what he wanted.

"Alright alright there little mister piggy! One homemade chocolate muffin coming right up!"

He growled at my insult and dragged me down into his lap.


End file.
